It would seem that Lynne Cheney's office has not closed the door on succeeding the late Sen. Craig Thomas of Wyoming:
A spokesperson for Lynne Cheney, wife of the vice president, would notdeny that she, too, was a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat, accordingto The Associated Press.
When I heard that Bush had picked Cheney in 2000, I remember thinking that the future President could have just as easily chosen Lynne instead of Dick. She served in the Reagan and Bush 41 Administrations and developed a reputation as an articulate and strong conservative, co-hosting CNN's Crossfire Sunday. Recently, she was not afraid to tear into Wolf Blitzer for
airing al-Qaeda propaganda.
The process of selecting a replacement for Sen. Thomas is an interesting one. Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal will make the pick from a short list of three candidates selected by the Republican state committee. Under this process, it's difficult to see how Lynne Cheney could be selected. Freudenthal would likely pick the weakest candidate, or the least conservative one. Would a Democrat willingly select a conservative champion who would instantly become one of the most recognized Republican leaders in the Senate?
The only way it would work is if the Wyoming central committee were to clear the field for Cheney. Just forward one name to the Governor: Lynne Cheney. Actually, this is not a bad idea whether or not Cheney is a candidate. Why give the Democratic Governor, who will no doubt be on the phone with Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer throughout this, any discretion at all?